Department Spotlight: Total Rewards
It’s the 50th Department Spotlight anniversary! Let’s reward ourselves by learning about the very team who does exactly that – Total Rewards.
As healthcare professionals, we take care of others day in, day out. We work tirelessly to ensure our patients have the best possible health outcomes. In order to live that passion every day, Renown has a dedicated team with one primary mission in mind: to care for the caregivers. This team is crucial in providing access to opportunities that enhance our employees’ physical, emotional, financial and occupational well-being. Now, who are they, you may ask?
Answer: Renown Health’s Total Rewards department. From a wide array of benefits to fit every life stage to competitive compensation, this team handles it all. Renown employees are fortunate to have the Total Rewards team on their side, making sure all members of Team Renown are rewarded for their service – because a thriving health system begins with our people.
Benefits for Life’s Moments
At Renown, we not only aspire to hire the best talent – we also have a goal of inspiring them to stay with us. Some of the many ways we do that is through our robust benefits package and competitive compensation structures. And there are so many perks to being a Renown employee that many might not even know the half of it.
That’s where Total Rewards comes in. Keeping our employees engaged and on top of their benefits and compensation is of utmost importance.
“In Total Rewards, we do a lot of creative work to get our employees engaged with their benefits and ensure their pay is market competitive,” said Amy Moore, Director of Total Rewards. “It’s a year-long effort, and for benefits that all culminates with Open Enrollment and the annual Benefits Fair toward the end of the year. We always have our finger on the pulse of market trends to make sure we are in line with the market in terms of both benefit offerings and competitive compensation programs. Our team manages that data all year long.”
No matter what life era a Renown employee may find themselves in, our Benefits team works diligently to ensure that every team member has access to the best-possible benefits with vendor partners that want the exact same. From health insurance and 401(k) match plans to even Identity Theft Insurance and Legal Assistance, we virtually have it all. This effort is led by Shawna Lovett, Manager of Employee Benefits, who is well-known by her coworkers as someone who is constantly fighting to give employees the best benefits possible and will always do what's right for them.
“I’ve developed strong relationships with our brokers and vendors and negotiate with them constantly to ensure our employees get the best possible benefits,” said Shawna Lovett. “For example, during last year’s Open Enrollment, employees were able to enroll in Long-Term Disability without having to undergo the underwriting process or a medical check. That is unheard of and a huge win for employees. In addition, our medical plan is one of the most generous I’ve ever seen, and I’ve worked in Benefits for a long time.”
Communication is a major factor in assuring all team members fully comprehend the long list of benefits and their compensation at all times.
“I do a lot of the benefits communications and work closely with the marketing team to ensure all employees understand their benefits,” said Bridget Nelson, Senior Benefits Analyst.
“Our team is committed to sharing information about pay and leave effectively and in a timely manner with all employees,” added Jessica Bajwa, Compensation Specialist.
Like Jessica mentioned, communicating effectively is a must, especially when it comes to pay. On the Compensation side of the token, making sure our employees are fairly compensated for their skills and service is the name of the game. And these team members don’t just focus on this when an employee is hired – they are continually reviewing every role from a data-driven approach and updating pay to remain competitive with the market and to help nurture a passionate workforce.
“We look at every single Renown job each year to ensure their compensation is competitive; that’s almost a thousand different jobs for more than 7,500 employees,” said Jennifer Whitmore, Senior Compensation Analyst. “We take a meaningful approach – we look at not just if the market moved but also if there are retention and hiring issues. We work with leaders and recruiters to understand what’s going on with every single job. We are the sleuths– if something is broken, we will find it.’
“What drew me to Compensation was the opportunity to work with data,” added Brittney Amoruso, Compensation Analyst. “I started on the Provider Onboarding team and was drawn to the analytical side right away. I enjoy being able to pursue my passion for data analytics to help make sure our employees understand their pay. Every decision we make is data driven.”
Benefits and compensation can be quite complicated at the employee level. Luckily for Renown team members, they have the Total Rewards team to handle all the nitty-gritty on their behalf.
“We’re here for employees, no matter what news regarding their benefits we have to give,” said Jessica Campos, Benefits Specialist. “We handle all the behind-the-scenes craziness to make our employees happy.”
“I answer a lot of calls that come into the Benefits office, and whenever I do receive a call, I treat them like I’d want them to treat my family,” added Julie DeWeese, Benefits Specialist. "Every call is interesting and important.”
Total Rewards treats these duties like a calling. They feel personally invested in every single employee’s experience.
“We feel a lot of ownership over the employee’s experience, hence why we leverage so many data points and surveys throughout the year,” said Jennifer Whitmore. “We take it to heart. We are so passionate and invested in helping our employees have the best experience possible. It’s a never-ending cycle of participation.”
A Special Connection
Renown’s mission, vision and values were revamped in early 2025 to reflect our culture today and tomorrow. Our Total Rewards team members feel incredibly connected to our values and how our values tie into healthcare as a whole and the Renown culture.
“Our mission, vision, and values are all about healthcare,” said Amy Moore. “People First and Compassion resonate with me the most. I truly believe the company's mission as a not-for-profit is to care for all people, and that applies to our employees as well. For instance, we have an annual merit budget. Even during the Great Recession, we still gave merit increases because we knew how hard it was for employees during this time. Renown has the flexibility to spend money where it’s needed—spending it from the heart. Every day, it’s all about the employees. We work every day to make life better for them.”
“Our value of Compassion stands out the most to me,” added Bridget Nelson. “My goal is always to ask, 'How can we help?' We want to make it easy, give employees access to their benefits and help them use them throughout the year. It's a lot, and we want to help them understand 'benefits speak' so they can be fluent in their benefits."
“Collaboration is truly the core strength of our team,” added Jessica Bajwa. “We prioritize working closely with others across the organization, having clear and open communication, and teamwork to ensure that we deliver the best possible outcomes for all employees. We leverage our diverse strengths and expertise to create solutions that benefit everyone."
When it comes to our Benefits and Compensation professionals, being available to employees is their number one goal. In fact, they have made a concerted effort to do exactly that – be a constant resource for all Renown team members.
“One thing we’ve committed to is being approachable and available,” said Jennifer Whitmore. “Amy has made sure of this over the past five years. It used to be, 'send this to HR and we’ll get back to you.' Now, we get emails and calls from employees all the time. Our reputation is, 'call Compensation, they’ll help you,' which is exactly what we wanted. We are approachable and reachable. It’s not common for an analyst role to be so hands-on with employees, but Total Rewards ensures we’re attentive to their needs.”
This passion comes from many different areas. However, for several of these team members, witnessing how Renown providers care for their family members was one of the main points of inspiration.
“My kids were born prematurely at Washoe Med (now Renown) and spent seven weeks in the NICU,” said Amy Moore. “The nurses there were incredible—kind, patient and loving. On tough days, they would sit beside me as I stared at my babies in the incubators, offering comfort. Their skill and compassion left a lasting impression and, from that moment on, I’ve always had a special place in my heart for Renown. So, when I saw the job opening for Compensation Manager, I jumped at the chance.”
“Renown holds a special place in my heart—three generations of my family were born here: my daughter, my granddaughter and me,” added Shawna Lovett.
And at the end of the day, one aspect of our health system keeps coming back to the surface in terms of how connected this team feels to Renown’s mission: our not-for-profit status.
“There is a huge difference with us being a not-for-profit,” said Shawna Lovett. “On top of that, I love how much we care for our employees. After all, they do so much for us – the least we could do is give back to them.”
Totally Rewarded
So, how does one get involved in Total Rewards in the first place? What inspires someone to make their career focused on benefits or compensation?
While their backgrounds may vary – whether it’s military or the gaming industry – their drive to help others was always at the front of their mind. Total Rewards was the ideal fit.
Let’s learn about some of their unique treks to Total Rewards!
- “I like to say I went ‘from diapers to dollars’ in my roles at Renown. I started in 2003 as a Childcare Center employee before I joined the military. I loved the people here. My goal was to go into the military, get clinical experience, and go back to Renown to do something clinical. But in college, I didn’t enjoy the science classes, so I studied business and got a master’s degree in HR. The goal was always to come back to Renown, so I applied consistently for years to find the right job and right fit. And here I am today!” - Jennifer Whitmore
- “I began my journey with Renown in 2016 as an HR Customer Service Representative on the Operations team. This role gave me the opportunity to engage with all aspects of Human Resources daily. Over time, I was promoted to the HR Compensation and Benefits role, where I was able to focus more specifically on compensation and work more closely with the team. It was during this time that I discovered I had a passion for compensation and became interested and wanted to learn more about this area. When the opportunity came up, I took the leap and transitioned into my current role as Compensation Specialist, and the rest is history." - Jessica Bajwa
- “I worked in the gaming industry for 20 years, doing all kinds of HR roles, but my favorite was always compensation and benefits; so, when an opportunity for a Compensation Manager position at Renown came up, I was 'pleased as punch' to get back into it. I eventually became the Director of Compensation and Benefits, which was a perfect fit, since those are the aspects of HR I truly love.” - Amy Moore
- “I started working in benefits at the former army base in Hawthorne decades ago, back when benefits were very different. Part of my job was to review everyone’s explanation of benefits (EOB) and see their diagnosis codes before the days of HIPAA. I also had other HR roles along the way, like HR Generalist, but my focus was always on benefits." - Shawna Lovett
Having a supportive team comes from the top down. Total Rewards gives a lot of recognition to their leadership for fostering a culture of appreciation and compassion.
“Our leaders are so appreciative of us, and it makes a huge difference,” said Julie DeWeese. “I’ll be here a long time.”
“We are fortunate that we have leaders who are people who care about their people,” added Jennifer Whitmore. “When I came back from the military, I could not wait to be around these people. I stay because of them.”
The Total Rewards team is more than just a department; it’s a place where its employees feel supported, valued and at home. For many of these team members, shifting to a career in Total Rewards wasn’t just a career move – it was a welcoming shift.
“When Julie and I came over to the Human Resources team, it felt like home,” said Jessica Campos. “I love helping people, and this role in Benefits gave me that fulfillment. Renown genuinely cares for its employees and seeing all the work everyone puts in makes us more passionate about the work we do.”
“If we can take away our employees’ worries about their benefits or compensation, their work becomes more productive and their home life improves too,” added Amy Moore.
Everything they do, and every day they work, beautifully displays the passion the Total Rewards team has. And to them, that passion is a years-long commitment.
“I could not be prouder of the incredible team I’m fortunate to work with daily. Every member of our team brings their absolute best to the table. Every day, we grow stronger both as individuals and as a team. There is nothing this team cannot accomplish when we work together. We may be a small team, but we are mighty,” closes Jessica Bajwa.